Think Childcare Group

What Think Childcare Group does

Think Childcare Group is an Australian publicly listed company (ASX: TNK) that operates centre-based early childhood education and childcare services under the brand Busy Bees Early Learning. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Drummoyne, Australia, the company runs a network of physical childcare centres across six Australian states and territories — Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, and South Australia — serving families with children aged 0 to 5 years. The founder-led leadership team is anchored by Mathew Edwards (Founder, CEO & Managing Director).

The core product is centre-based early learning and care, differentiated by the proprietary Bee Curious curriculum framework that structures pedagogy across four age cohorts (0–2, 2–3, 3–5, and kindergarten). Supporting service modules include a Child Care Subsidy Calculator for government fee estimation, a 3 Day Guarantee program, a Bee Healthy Menu, and downloadable family information packs. Digital touchpoints are anchored by a third-party Storypark platform that enables educator-to-parent communication via photos and learning journals. No proprietary AI/ML technology stack is disclosed.

Revenue is generated through recurring subscription-style childcare fees paid by families, partially offset by the Australian Government's means-tested Child Care Subsidy. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the corporate website (busybees.edu.au), a 1300 phone line, social media channels, and online tour booking. The company employs between 1,001 and 5,000 staff and serves a long-tail B2C customer base of individual families with no disclosed enterprise customer concentration.

Name

Think Childcare Group

Legal name

Think Childcare Group

Website

https://thinkchildcare.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Think Childcare Group (ASX: TNK) operates Busy Bees Early Learning, a network of centre-based childcare and early education services for children aged 0–5 across six Australian states and territories, generating recurring fee revenue supported by government Child Care Subsidy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Toddler-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infant-Focused Childcare Centers (EDACAAAF), Preschool-Age Home Daycare (3–5 years) (EDACAEAE)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Childcare services
• Early learning centres
• Preschool education
• Long day care

Headquarters

HQ city

Drummoyne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Childcare Fees: Parents pay regular childcare fees for centre-based care services. Fee structure is influenced by the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy program which provides means-tested rebates to eligible families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Think Childcare Group operates a national network of centre-based long day care and preschool services under the Busy Bees Early Learning brand for children aged 0–5 across six Australian states and territories. The service is delivered via the proprietary Bee Curious play-based curriculum and supported by government-subsidised fee structures, family onboarding tools and the Storypark parent communication platform.

Product overview

Think Childcare Group operates as Busy Bees Early Learning, a unified early childhood education and childcare service operating a network of centres across Australia. The core offering consists of centre-based childcare and early learning services supplemented by the proprietary Bee Curious Curriculum tailored to developmental stages from birth to kindergarten age. Additional service modules include a Child Care Subsidy Calculator for fee estimation, a 3 Day Guarantee program, and downloadable family information resources. The company maintains a multi-state presence across VIC, QLD, NSW, WA, ACT, and SA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Busy Bees Early Learning Centre-based long day care and preschool education for children aged 0–5, delivered through the proprietary Bee Curious play-based curriculum across more than 70 centres in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT, with fees subsidised by the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Goodlife Health Clubs: Not directly comparable as a peer. Omitting.

Emerging players

• Learning Care Group: Learning Care Group is a large US-based operator of early childhood education centres (Childtime, Tutor Time, etc.). While operating in a different geography, its centre-based model, curriculum-driven differentiation, and subscription fee structure are directly analogous to Think Childcare's, providing useful international operational and scale benchmarking.

Direct peers

• G8 Education Limited: G8 Education is one of Australia's largest listed childcare operators (ASX: GEM), running hundreds of centres under brands including Goodstart, Guardian, and others. It competes head-to-head with Think Childcare on pricing, locations, staff, and government-subsidised fees, and is the most directly comparable listed peer in scale and business model.
• Only About Children (OAC): OAC is a premium Australian childcare and early learning operator with centres in major east-coast cities. It targets a similar dual-care/education value proposition to Busy Bees and competes for higher-income families willing to pay premium daily fees above the subsidy cap, making it a closely comparable direct peer in the premium segment.
• Goodstart Early Learning: Goodstart is Australia's largest not-for-profit early childhood education provider with a national network of centres. It competes with Think Childcare for the same families, uses the same government Child Care Subsidy framework, and operates across similar age cohorts (0–5 years). Its not-for-profit structure offers a differentiated value proposition but the core service offering is highly comparable.
• Mayfield Childcare Limited: Mayfield Childcare (ASX: MFD) is a smaller Australian listed operator of childcare centres. While smaller in scale than Think Childcare, it operates the same centre-based model, targets the same age range, and competes for investors and acquisition targets within the Australian childcare sector.
• Guardian Childcare & Education: Guardian operates premium early learning centres across major Australian cities. It targets a similar upper-tier positioning to Busy Bees, serves the same 0–5 age cohorts, and uses comparable curriculum frameworks. Its metropolitan focus and premium positioning make it a directly competitive peer in overlapping catchments.
• Affinity Education Group: Affinity Education operates a national portfolio of childcare centres across Australia, including the Milestone and Papilio brands. It targets the same 0–5 age range, accepts Child Care Subsidy, and competes in overlapping metropolitan catchments with Think Childcare, making it a directly comparable operator.

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Companies: KinderCare is a large US publicly listed centre-based early childhood education provider (NYSE: KLC). While geographically separate, it shares the same core operating model — centre-based care for 0–5 year-olds, recurring fees, employer-sponsored and government-supported programmes — making it a comparable scale and model benchmark for Think Childcare.
• Busy Bees (UK): Busy Bees is a major UK-headquartered international early learning operator that shares the Busy Bees brand used by Think Childcare in Australia. It is relevant as a broader incumbent operator with the same curriculum philosophy and brand lineage, providing an international benchmark for scale, curriculum development, and operational practices.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNbytjlK5MTbSvOF-JZtQDg
• Facebookfacebook.com/busybeesau
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/busybees-au
• Instagraminstagram.com/busybees_au

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Think Childcare Group